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Four new GRAW 2 videos on Marketplace
Major Nelson just posted an Xbox Live Marketplace update about four new gameplay videos for Ubisoft's Ghost Recon Advance Warfighter 2 on Marketplace. The flavors to choose from feature the new sniper rifle, air strike command, squad tactics and gatling gun mounted on the helicopter. They are available in 480p and 720p, and average about 30 MB and 160 MB, respectively. The sniper trailer appears to be the shortest, as its size is 9 MB and 40 MB. In any case, these videos should help shed some light on features you couldn't pick up from the demo.
Rainbow Six: Vegas downloadable content revealed
New game modes and multiplayer maps comprise the first downloadable content pack for Ubisoft's first-person terrorist foiler, Rainbow Six: Vegas. Eurogamer reports that the Player's Pack Red Edition should find its way onto the Xbox Live Marketplace before the end of March. Of the two new gameplay modes, Assassination sounds like it could provide for some tense moments. One team must protect and escort a fragile and likely paranoid VIP to an extraction point, while the opposing team attempts to make said very important person a very dead one instead.Total Conquest, on the other hand, is closer to King of the Hill, except with royalty being ordained by three seperate radar installations. As for the added multiplayer maps, two are altered versions of existing levels, namely Border Town and Killhouse, and three are brand new. These include "Doscala Restaurant," "Marshalling Yard" and the extraordinarily descriptive "Roof," which is actually a coffee factory crawling with terrorists and, you know, brewing up trouble. (OOF!)Ubisoft has not yet appended a price tag to the content, but our expectations are set between 800 points ($10) and 1200 points ($15). Player's Pack Red Edition is currently exclusive to the Xbox 360 version of Rainbow Six: Vegas.
Rumor: New maps headed for R6: Vegas
The latest issue of the Official Xbox Magazine apparently spills the beans on new Rainbow Six: Vegas content. The content supposedly contains ten new maps and two new multiplayer modes for 800 MS points. One of the new game types, Assassination, requires players to protect their player controlled VIP and attempt to assassinate the opposing team's VIP. Conquest asks players to maintain control over certain sections of the map, similar to King of the Hill and Territories game types in other games. The content is scheduled to arrive in March. Anyone with a new copy of OXM care to confirm?[Via Live Gamer]
Ubisoft releases first quarter game line-up
Aren't you curious to see what Ubisoft has planned this first quarter? While we'd love to just copy and paste the list in its entirety, it's probably best if we just list the games coming out for the PS3. It's more honest and, well, it makes the list much smaller. Enchanted Arms Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent Again with your monopolization... damn you, Tom Clancy! Now keep in mind some of the games listed should be coming out on the PS3 -- they just have a different release date from the other systems and fall outside of the first quarter. Well, Ubisoft, hopefully these three games (along with the other March releases) will wholly satisfy us.
Ridiculously nice shots of GRAW 2
Our brothers in arms over at Gamertag Radio (also running a cool Bullet Witch contest, by the way) have posted some 'effing amazing shots of Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2. Seriously, if we hadn't already seen how nice the first GRAW turned out, we wouldn't have bought these screenies for a minute. Just look at the smoke. Look at it! Head on over to GTR and check 'em out. You'll even get a chance to check out the European cover for the game, which isn't nearly as exciting as the actual screen shots. Any GRAW fans chomping at the bit to get this yet?
Rainbow Six Vegas goes mobile
This ain't your Xbox's Rainbow Six, but Wired's GameLife was impressed by Gameloft's version of Rainbow Six Vegas for the mobile platform -- at least for the duration of a 10-minute play session. The first two stages featured some variety, including a sniper task (pictured) and then a casino assault. GameLife noted that the second stage worked particularly well because players simply control a cursor; it's essentially a point-n-click action game.Gameloft has a lot of experience developing mobile games, including 11 previous Tom Clancy titles. Last summer, the company was named the 'Best Mobile Games Studio' at the Develop Conference & Expo.
South Korea loosens game censorship
Game censorship is a big news item in the past few months. Political types of all walks of life enjoy trying to stifle the medium by passing laws that don't hold up in court in the US and even get through without much of a hitch in Europe. On the other side of the world, one nation is going the opposite direction. South Korea, which recently proposed an anti-gold farming bill, has pulled censorship on games depicting military action against their northern neighbor. Under the ban, any game that was negative toward North Korea was not permitted for sale in the South, citing they would only inflame the existing tension. However, wiser South Korean lawmakers finally realized video games have little impact on the real world, cut the rule and games like Ghost Recon 2 can now be sold. Lawmakers from the West take note; South Korea has the right idea. When they're sitting right next to an unstable tin-pot dictator and decide that games aren't going to cause a mass invasion, we should start reassessing this whole "games make people violent" kick. Our only hope is wiser people end up in leadership positions who actually try to solve problems instead of deflecting the responsibility on an unrelated party.
Get your vote on, Gamespot's game of the year
It's the end of one long gaming year and that could only mean one thing, Gamespot has just announced its nominees for 2006 Game of the Year. Among the ten nominees there are quite a few great 360 games on the list including Dead Rising, Oblivion, Rainbow Six Vegas, Viva Piñata, and our little engine that could Gears of War. It's nice to see that so many high profile games from the 360 made the list and that Oblivion may have some of its stiffest competition yet. Visit their site, vote for who you think deserves the crown, and wait patiently for the winner to be announced. It's a difficult decision so we're totally opting for a write-in and voting for Viva Gears Rising ... that's one great game.
Xbox cited in trial of child-slaying father
Xbox is in the news this week, again linked to tragedy. During the opening hearing for Tyrone Spellman's murder trial we were reminded how Spellman beat his 17-month-old daughter Alayiah to death after she allegedly knocked his Xbox off of the shelf while he was playing Ghost Recon. "I thought it was broken. I popped her in the face," Spellman told police.Alayiah's death is one of several child slayings, at the hands of parents, recently profiled by the Philadelphia Inquirer in an effort to expose the Department of Human Services' failings. DHS workers had visited Alayiah's home twice during the month before she was murdered.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]See also:'Xbox Killers' get death
Ubisoft to doctor Rainbow Six Vegas
Ubisoft has released a list of some 36 gameplay issues that will be addressed in an upcoming Rainbow Six Vegas patch, including the now infamous voice chat bug. This latest development adds to the growing concern that console titles, particularly their online modes, are being governed by a 'ship now, fix later' mentality.Who will protect us from such lax development standards?[Via 1UP]
Metareview - Rainbow Six Vegas (Xbox 360)
Rainbow Six Vegas: the other Unreal Engine 3 shooter.Vegas will no doubt live in Gears' shadow this holiday, but series' followers know that Rainbow Six offers its own brand of 'thoughtful' combat. Indeed, it's the team-based multiplayer that will propel Vegas up the Xbox Live popularity chart. Rainbow Six is back. Game Informer (95/100) - "While the single-player mode is great, the multiplayer may be the best thing to come to Xbox Live since Halo 2 ... the best addition in the game, though, is without a doubt the four-player co-op. You and three of your friends can now experience the entire single-player campaign together as one Rainbow Six squad. Note to game developers: Every first-person shooter should feature this mode from this day forward." Games Radar (90/100) - "Deathmatch-style modes do exist and are definitely entertaining, but it's team play -- much like in the single player campaign -- that will keep you coming back ... the game's greatest feat is adding strategy to the first person shooter and getting the player -- whether working alone or with others -- to occasionally stop, forget about the gun and just think." 1UP (85/100) - "There can be no doubt that the reception of Rainbow Six Vegas will be somewhat tainted by the release of Gears of War. While the two games are very different stylistically, they share some fundamental gameplay mechanics, and both suffer from the same problem: namely, bland-but-competent online gameplay."
Rainbow Six to remain 360, PC exclusive thru holiday
Without explanation, Ubisoft has pushed back the releases of Rainbow Six Vegas for PlayStation 3 and PSP until January 30. The PC version was also delayed from November 28 to December 12, barely squeezing inside the holiday release window. Meanwhile, Xbox 360 owners are already deep into Vegas, which looks to restore the series' respectability after 2005's misstep Lockdown.Both single-player and Xbox Live multiplayer demos are also available for download on 360's marketplace, for those that want to test the waters before leaping in. While not as visually arresting, Vegas' multiplayer has the depth to outlast Gears fo War.[Thanks, Mack]
Tom Clancy shirks gamers -- Vegas Vacation ensues
So... many... references... in... this... title. Anyway, it's all true! Rainbow Six: Vegas (seriously... doesn't anyone else care that it's Rainbow? Are they trying to imply ethnic diversity or univeral acceptance? Tom Clancy, I'm on to you...) has been delayed until the end of January 2007. For the PS3 and PSP. 360 fanboys who invariably come here, rejoice! You can do more of the Rainbow Six-ing while we wait with bated breath to play this neato game.Why the delay? IGN hypothesizes the online component. But that's fine by us, since Rainbow Six pretty much works because of the online component, a delay to fix that up isn't exactly a bad thing, right? Sony was pretty sparse in its information regarding the PlayStation Online thingy to third-party games (just look at Tony Hawk's Project 8). So, is anyone particularly bothered by this? Or is it all good as long as the final product can compete with XBox Live's online functions for the game?
Vegas multiplayer demo infiltrates Live [update 1]
There's nothing quite like a nice Friday demo. For those of you who can't get enough of the Rainbow Six: Vegas demo, you're in luck, because a multiplayer demo just dropped on Live Marketplace. According to the description, there are tons of modes available, including Adversarial, Attack & Defend, and Terro Hunt. Terro Hunt, 4 player co-op game in which your team slaughters hordes of terrorists, sounds particularly fun. We haven't finished the download yet (almost a gig), so we don't know if character creation -- or face mapping -- is available. We'll update you with our impressions as soon as possible.Update: It looks like this demo is only available for Gold members. Silver members can get this on November 24th. Still, considering it's online multiplayer, how would Silver members play it anyway?[Thanks, Chris Hipple]
Suspiciously beautiful Rainbow Six screenshots
Ruriweb has discovered some supernaturally beautiful screenshots of the PSP version of Rainbow Six. Certainly, the game doesn't match the visual intensity of its Xbox 360 brethren, but it does a fine job visually nonetheless. Everything seems a bit too stellar: the character models, the lighting and the textures. Hopefully, such beauty doesn't come at the expense of framerate or loading times. We'll certainly find out more info before the game sneaks into store shelves in October. Until then, check out more pics after the cut.[Via PSP-Vault]
Rainbow Six shots continue to impress
Game Infowire has posted 51(!) new shots of Rainbow Six: Vegas. Most of our readers already know this, but R6: Vegas is insanely detailed. Seriously, Ubisoft must have hired an obsessive compulsive crazy person to get all this detail in there. Right down to the fabric of the uniforms, everything is gorgeously textured. It reminds us why Ubisoft is the "not evil" EA. We suggest you click your way through all of these screens from start to finish -- it always goes down smooth. With games like R6: Vegas in tow, this holiday season is looking to be damned expensive for 360 owners.[Via OpenXBOX360]
E3 demo: Rainbow Six Vegas (Xbox 360)
We're pleased to report that Rainbow Six is back on track. Lockdown was a huge disappointment, but Ubisoft Montreal lead game designer Jean-Pascal Cambiotti has pledged to bring the series back to its "core values," meaning tactics.Rainbow Six Vegas was running off of an Xbox 360 dev kit and being played by a developer. We caught a glimpse of the new snake cam, which can be inserted under doorways to assess what lies within. Using the camera, players can tag enemies within the room, in effect, giving your two teammates targets to attack upon entry. This is all part of an improved tactical interface, which oozes smart action.You bust through one door, your teammates through another. You've already given them their targets, all you need to worry about is yours. A few calculated bursts from your rifle, a few more from your teammates, and when the smoke clears, you've got a pile of dead evildoers and a handful of lucky hostages.
GR:AW demo finally infiltrates XBLM
There have been some delays (perceived or otherwise) in this title's demo making its way to the Xbox Live Marketplace, but fret no longer! Behold: the Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter demo is upon us! While you're downloading the roughly 360Mb multiplayer demo, check out our review of what you're missing out on in the single-player campaign, then stop by our multiplayer hands-on to see what you're about to get into. That is if you hadn't already bought the thing 'cause--apparently--it's selling pretty well. Good thing it's a free Live weekend so all you Xbox Live Silver members can get your free GR:AW demo on without having to fork over a single penny.[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
HUDs up! A look at GRAW's next-gen interface
Stephen Totilo has written another excellent article for MTV, continuing his streak of wearing away at my natural, innate aversion to all things Music Television, be they neither about music or on television. This time he looked at GRAW from a unique perspective. Yup, we're talking about the Head-Up Display, or HUD. While it's something that might seem simple or inconsequential, this feature is an example of how gaming can benefit from the increased power of next-gen consoles. Totilo writes, "During the development of GRAW it turned out that one extra window wasn't enough. Another one was added to the screen's upper right corner to provide talking-head mission briefings. Like a computer desktop running a couple of programs and an IM window in the corner, the game supplies a lot to keep track of." What's impressive is how capable the 360 is of handling the added load of the picture-in-picture HUD as well as the game's praiseworthy graphics. Totilo explains, "The multi-windowing doesn't sap the 360's strength, and [Production Manager Adrian] Lacey pointed to other graphical achievements that were pulled off in the main window. Each character onscreen is rendered by 15,000 polygons, the same number of polygons used to render an entire level of 2002's PS2 Ghost Recon."Nintendo's Revolution is often singled out as a lone console carrying the torch of innovation for next-gen gaming. While we won't besmirch Nintendo's system, or their concept, the argument that increased computing power is only valuable for prettier graphics, and that graphics add nothing of substance to gameplay is erroneous. It's not a couple months in and one of the first killer apps for the 360 is already using that power to deliver real next-gen gameplay. Be sure to read Totilo's article and also check out MTV's GRAW "Peep Show."
Metareview - Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter
Reviews of Ubisoft and Tom Clancy's newest license to print money have finally begun to appear in some quantity and the consensus is... impressive. Team Xbox (93%) - "Ubisoft is not only kicking the door in with Advanced Warfighter, they are taking the whole damn building down along with it! Despite a few questionable decisions, such as the lack of any Southpaw support, or the ability to lean in multiplayer, the game is everything we've come to expect since it was first shown a year ago." Gamespot (92%) - "If you like shooters or action games, and you own an Xbox 360, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter is a must-own for your library. A solid and challenging campaign and a unique, online-co-op mode combine with an unmatched presentation in what is arguably the best game yet on the Xbox 360." IGN (92%) - "GRAW is fundamentally the same methodically paced, squad-based sniper game of yesteryear, but the formula has been enhanced, polished, and realized in ways it's never been capable of reaching in prior generations. Of course, the online portion is vast, impressive, and deep in replay value, and it may very well be the reason to finally get on and stay on Xbox Live for the first time in this console's short history." As if you needed any more reason to get this game! The reviews are universally glowing: Gamerankings has a cumulative rating of 91% thus far, while Metacritic has 92%. The major gripe appears to be the lack of options in controller-layouts, a long standing pet peeve of gamers--especially lefties--everywhere! Come on game devs, this is like having a save-everywhere function on handheld titles--it's not an option, it's mandatory!
